About the Artists In Motion residency exchange
This spring, CLARA and the A.I.M. (Artists in Motion) lab joined together to provide three valuable resources for movement artists seeking to develop their work — space, time, and an audience.
Six working choreographers in the Sacramento area were selected to participate in the first AIM lab, bringing completed pieces to CLARA for a 24-hour workshop process, culminating in a studio performance of their pieces with opportunities for audience feedback after.
Two other local choreographers were brought to CLARA as part of the AIM Lab as CLARA’s first-ever “artists in residence,” where they were provided with a three-week residency during which they had rehearsal space and time to create an original new work. In exchange for this rehearsal time, those artists in residence provided in-school teaching artist residencies to SCUSD students attending Will C. Wood Middle School. For most of the 60 students participating in the residency exchange, this is the first time they have ever participated in a dance program.
“CLARA was born out of the idea that arts organizations are able to access affordable space in exchange for donating performing arts education and expertise to local public schools,” explains Megan Wygant, executive director of CLARA. “This partnership is a natural outgrowth of that goal. We’ve enjoyed past collaborations with Diego, both as a dancer adn as a teaching artist. When he approached us with this idea, the obvious answer was an enthusiastic YES!”
The AIM Lab workshop took place on March 31, 2018 in front of a sold out audience. After the event, the artists were equally enthusiastic, with 100% of the artists eager to return to CLARA for a future workshop, and felt that the project provided great value to their artistic process.
CLARA artist in residence Ayo Walker has completed her hip-hop class; the other artist-in-residence, Intertia DeWitt, is finishing her creative movement class with the students shortly.